CCM's 2014-15 Studio Series Opens with the Award-Winning Musical 'Blood Brothers,' Oct. 9-11

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) kicks off its 2014-15 Studio Series with Willy Russell’s

Blood Brothers

. Opening

Thursday, Oct. 9 and running through Saturday, Oct. 11

in CCM’s Cohen Family Studio Theater,

Blood Brothers

will enthrall audiences with four performances.

Like all Studio Series productions, admission to

Blood Brothers

is free, but reservations are required.

Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 6.

Professor Vince DeGeorge returns to the Studio Series stage as both choreographer and director of this much-anticipated musical. Last season, DeGeorge’s studio production of

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

received numerous accolades, including nominations for three League of Cincinnati Theatre Awards: Best Musical, Best Director of a Musical and Best Ensemble in a Musical.

Blood Brothers

, winner of the 1983 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, is loosely based on the 1844 novella

The Corsican Brothers

by famed author Alexandre Dumas. DeGeorge describes it as “an epic story of nature versus nurture and class distinction.” It tells the tale of twin brothers separated at birth, but DeGeorge explains that it is also “the personal narrative of two women and the extremes that they’ll go to in order to keep their children safe.”

It was the emotional strength of this story that initially drew DeGeorge to the title. “This is an incredibly well crafted musical with book, music and lyrics by Willy Russell. Every character, scene and song in this piece pushes the narrative forward to its inevitable, tragic conclusion,” he says.

Brianna Barnes, a junior in the musical theatre program at CCM, will play the role of Mrs. Lyons, a major character in

Blood Brothers

. Barnes talks about developing her character: “playing a character that is significantly older than your actual age is always a challenge, [especially] grasping that level of maturity and wisdom. Love, however, is a universal feeling everyone can relate to. And that's what is at the core of these two women, their unconditional and relentless love for their children.”

Barnes has immensely enjoyed working with DeGeorge. “Vince undoubtedly has an incredible vision for the production, and really collaborates that vision with our specific abilities.”

The CCM production of

Blood Brothers

is elegant in its simplicity. The staging serves to emphasize the musical’s raw emotion and the choreography plays a part in setting the stage. Audiences will enjoy movement inspired by the swing era of the mid 40s and 50s. Musical director Steve Goers supports the purity of the performance with his effortless arrangements and graceful piano accompaniment.

Blood Brothers

is a performance that will deeply affect audiences through its emotional delivery and masterful artistry.

With free admission and limited seating, CCM’s Studio Series productions remain one of the hottest tickets in town.

Learn more about how secure your tickets

by visiting

ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/did-you-know/how-to-studio-series.

Cast List

Mrs. Johnstone...................................................................... Hannah Kornfeld

Mrs. Lyons............................................................................. Brianna Barnes

Mr. Lyons............................................................................... John Battaliegse

Mickey Johnstone.................................................................. Thomas Knapp

Edward Lyons.......................................................................  Karl Amundson

Sammy................................................................................... Zach Erhardt

Linda...................................................................................... Kaela O’Conner

Narrator.................................................................................. Tyler Huckstep

Ensemble............................................................................... Alec Cohen, Emily Fink, Louis Griffin, Jackson Mattek, Emily Royer, Keaton Whittaker, Hannah Zazzaro

Performance Times

• 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9
• 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10
• 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11

Location

Cohen Family Studio Theater, CCM Village

University of Cincinnati

Reserving Tickets

Admission is free, but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Oct. 6. Visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.

Parking and Directions

Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit

uc.edu/parking

for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit

uc.edu/visitors

. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit

ccm.uc.edu/about/directions

.

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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Community Partner: ArtsWave